Beauty Routine

We all have done experiments and changed our behaviors at some point or another. So, we know we can do it, it’s just a matter of doing it.

I’ve changed my behavior approximately 9,000,000,000 times in the last thirty-something years. Some of my changes stick, other’s don’t. We all change minute to minute throughout our lives, and that’s totally OK.

In recent posts I talked about my no/lo poo journey. This clearly doesn’t apply to everyone, but it does to me. It’s something worth experimenting because:

I want to save money instead of wasting it on beauty products

I want to spend less time primping in the mornings

I want to be OK with my natural, authentic self

That’s really the main motives behind this.

A lot of other’s are experimenting with the switch to no/lo poo as well. This is why if your interest is peaked and you go to research, there is so much information available that, quite honestly, makes it seem intimidating.

That’s because what works for one person, doesn’t for another. One person has xyz result and not the other.

So you are kind of frozen not knowing where to start because you simply don’t know what to do and are afraid of the outcome.

What I personally didn’t read a lot of was the honest-to-God truth about what to expect when doing the switch. It made me very leery at first because I know good and dang well that not everyone who does it has that much success, right?

I mean, I have lived long enough to just know better.

And so have you, which is why you may be scared to even try it.

How to start and what to expect:

Decision: You have to want to do this. It’s different from what you’ve always done. Years worth of sudsing up with commercial shampoo has created an exhilarating showering experience every, single day of your life for as long as you have known. If you go no ‘poo – you will not have this experience. You won’t be using shampoo so there won’t be any sudsing or bottled scents wafting in the shower any more.

If you decide to plunge, can you handle it? I mean, it sounds silly but seriously? Can you handle it?

If you are stuck in your decision process and just can’t make up your mind but still want to try it, there’s only one thing to do at this point:

Say eff-it and do it.

Get in the shower and don’t wash your hair.

Expectations: Please don’t expect to fall in love with your hair on this day. It’s going to feel grimy and oily and unmanageable. That’s because you aren’t used to having hair unwashed. Your hair is in shock because it’s actually being left alone for the first time in your life. It’s wanting to run free and roam the meadows.

Let it.

Just like any other change, getting used to unwashed hair takes time. It’s going to feel weird like you ‘forgot something’ and it’s not going to feel the same. You may feel self conscious because you are rocking some unwashed locks.

Don’t expect to style it the same way. At first, it would be wise to have a plan B on styling that day. For me, I twist it back with some bobby pins and go about my business.

After a few days of not washing your hair, don’t be surprised if you realize that you have never gotten to know your hair at all. It’s like a strangers head of hair and you will not know how to deal with it. Again, have a plan B until you figure it out – and you will, and I will too.

For some people, the unwashed hair stays oily for a week and for others months. You will not know how your hair will do until you try it.

Don’t be surprised if no one else on Earth even notices that you aren’t washing your hair. That will be a lightbulb moment when you realize you have been stressing over getting ‘perfect hair’ and no one else has ever cared but you.

Get excited that you will feel free and rebellious like a child that isn’t minding over-bearing adults. It’s like you are getting away with something you aren’t supposed to do. Because, after all, doesn’t everybody over-wash their hair? Doesn’t everybody continue to make commercial shampoo companies super rich while we spend hours a week primping in front of a mirror and spending oodles of our hard earned money unnecessarily?

No. Not everybody.

Don’t be surprised that after not washing your hair for several days that you start to love your natural self and question why you have ever put that kind of time in effort into your hair. You may question why you’ve been manipulating circumstances so much that you have totally ruined a perfectly good set of hair by constantly messing with it.

You may even realize that you are wild and free at heart and it’s not your problem if other people have an issue with what you do with your hair.

Best of all, you may just learn to love your beautiful, primal, loving, gorgeous, authentic self and just be happy with the way things are un-controlled.

And sometimes, having crazy hair – don’t care is the best way to have it after all. Wild and free. Rebellious and empowered. Loved and loving.

There’s a lot of talk among aspiring minimalists and oodles of Pinterest examples of the Capsule Wardrobe. I’ve read up on it and have been inspired for a really long time to make my own capsules and ditch the excess.

It’s been a really positive experience so far, and even when I think I have my capsule perfect, something else sparks my interest and that’s OK, too.

Earlier this week, I got super excited and inspired by a post called Why I Wear the Same Thing Every Day and it’s like everything just clicked in my mind as far as my wardrobe goes.

It’s true, most of our well-known famous world-changers wear the same thing every day. They have their ‘signature look’ and keep their look simple and streamlined so that they can focus on important stuff, instead of wasting energy on the not-so-important daily decisions such as what they will be wearing that day.

In the grand scheme of things, I think it’s safe to say that our clothes is not all that important, huh?

If you had of asked me last year if I would have felt this way this year I would have looked at you like you had 6 heads.

I’m a girl that has always kept up with fashion, and have been proud that I dress a little different or outside the lines a bit. I don’t know why, really but I have a hunch that society and highschool may have planted some type of seed that our clothes are more important than anything.

So, many years and much debt and unhappiness in shopping and wasting money on clothing later:

It just so happens that I had (3) black shirts in my capsule/closet anyway so it makes sense to me that I’ll be wearing black mostly with my one pair of jeans. What? One pair? Yes.

And I have a few other shirts that I mightrotate in. But then again, maybe not because just a simple black shirt seems pretty dang flawless to me. Black and dark colors are slimming and it’s classic. They don’t show dirt and smudges or nasty pit stains. It’s solid so there’s no question does this print go with that print. I mean, can this even be messed up or go wrong? I can’t imagine so.

Also, I figured I would have a work uniform hair do’ too, because why not? It’s just pinned back with bobby pins so I no longer will have to use heated products to style or fight humidity in this hellish Alabama summer heat.

This hairstyle is pretty much the easiest thing ever.

After 3 days of wearing a black shirt and the same pair of dark jeans not one person in my sphere has commented. That tells me that even the closest of loved ones could care less about what I’m wearing.

They say to dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.

Well, my friends:

A Bachelor’s Degree in Business and 10 years of career hunting and climbing ladders and layoffs and playing office politics later, I can say without question that dressing for the job you want is paramount.

Which is why I am dressing simply and in jeans. Because if my job requires me to use my clothing as my leverage in life, then that’s no job I want at all.

We all have to define our simplifying journey for ourselves. Each of us are different. We have different passions, motives, and reasons. For me, I am simplifying many aspects of my life to create clarity and joy. My clutter, spending habits, and schedule are taking away the most valuable thing in my life:

Time to do what I love doing.

This lifestyle that I created is stealing away what I want most. It’s finally taking it’s toll on my health. I’m suffering from true, shameless burnout. My stress is the worst it’s ever been. My emotional and mental health is a struggle.

My de-cluttering efforts are paying off and I am finally thinking more clearly. It hasn’t happened over night. As a matter of fact, it’s taken me months of fierce, ruthless, savage change. It’s primal, and it’s serious.

There are small things I do that seem like no big deal. But when it’s all compiled into one day – it is a huge deal over time.

I’ve changed a bunch of things, and one of my favorite changes is my beauty routine.

A few things that have helped ease my dependency on commercial products are:

2. Natural Body Soap: For the same reason as my facial cleansing routine. My body was patchy, bumpy, and dry from body washes and chemical soaps. Now I use all natural goat milk soap. My skin has cleared and is moisturized naturally.

3. Makeup: If I could have all the money spent on makeup I would be sitting pretty. Perhaps I believed what the commercials told me about makeup making me more beautiful? Maybe I just bought new products because I felt like I deserved it? Regardless, it’s expensive and wastes good space and time. I got rid of all the products that I rarely used and now I keep the essentials.

I realize now that the bronzer highlights just enough and mascara opens my eyes and it’s all I really need for every day wear. No one else has commented on my makeup change. It takes me 1 minute to do my makeup now.

It’s easy, cheap, and I feel ‘done’ enough for work and still feel good about myself.

When I run out of my current stash, I am going to replace with more natural ingredients. I feel this will help further reduce redness and dryness with a little time.

It works. The more time I have in the morning to watch the sunrise and meditate, or do a little yoga before work, the better. I can do that instead of using my face as a canvas. Simplifying my beauty routine has changed my mornings. Less stress, and more time to ease into my day.

Yoga isn’t about executing the poses perfectly or having the best balance. Yoga is connecting with yourself. Yoga is like learning to breathe again, or that moment when you jump out of bed in the morning, rush outside to do the sun salutation, and you’re utterly blinded by how brilliant the world can be. Yoga is taking a moment from your stressful, up-beat life and remembering you have a soul that needs tending to. ~ Unknown

The world truly can be beautiful and brilliant when we take the time to slow down and enjoy it. This has always been so hard for me: just as it is for so many people.

I feel that it is selfish and un-productive if I stop to breathe and do a few stretches.

Since I have began my yoga journey, I see how important it is to take the time to look within yourself. Yoga is not about being a pretzel, it’s about being deliberate. Being deliberate in loving on yourself every day. It’s about letting go of house chores realizing that it’s OK to take a break, get healthy, and press on within. When sticking through yoga, the to-do list shows up in the mind, but you learn to see it, and let it go. You begin to understand that the dishes will still be in the sink when you get done. They will. And it is perfectly fine.

It’s a daily practice of peace.

Whether you do yoga or not, it’s important you find something that allows you to be still, get healthy, and focus on yourself. It could be a walk, a bubble bath, a jog down a trail, gardening, drawing, watching the sunset. If it means you check in with yourself for at least 20 minutes or so to allow your self-worth to come forward: then you have found it! When you find it, do that and do it every day.

You know the drill. We buy a bazillion dollars worth of hair and make-up products all our lives and then wonder why our skin looks horrible, and our hair is thinning, bland, and falling out. It’s no secret that the products we buy are damaging, but we do it anyway because we think it’s no big deal.

Well, I had a turning point with my hair. A huge chunk broke off last month and I know I had to make a change in the products I was using. My face was broke out, red, and splotchy from all the creams and scrubs and medicines I was applying. To top it off- I was using Mr. Clean All Purpose Cleaner to clean house and it totally rusted my appliances and discolored my counter tops. If an ‘all purpose cleaner’ isn’t all purpose, then….I’m going green, baby.

This change is taking a while as I research and test products to arrive at a place where I love the items I buy and they actually work. It’s a process. If you have experienced the same type things I have and are looking for an alternative, experimenting and using less may be the answer.

It has been for me.

I am not an expert by any stretch. But, I have learned some things and I want to share.

No Poo/ Low Poo: I went no poo for a while, but have changed my process. I now only use natural shampoo, conditioner, and products. Unfortunately, I blow dry and flat iron my hair again. My wiley curls just wasn’t working out. Maybe one day I can be just as hardcore. However, I did learn that I will survive if I don’t wash my hair ever single day, and if my hair is curly and wild – so be it.

Natural Soap & Body Wash: I use Zum Bar soap and Burt’s Bees body wash. My skin is hydrated, dry-patch, and red bump free after a month! I thought there was no cure for my skin conditions (per dermatologists as well), but that’s just not the case. Apparently, regular chemical-filled soaps, body washes, and scrubs were destroying my skin.

Caveman Regimine Skincare: This is a miracle. I only wash my face with water and a baby soft wash cloth. No soap or creams or moisturizer touches it! I’ve been doing this for a while now and my blackheads are disappearing and not coming back, my red cheeks have nearly went away, and my skin glows.

Natural Makeup: This is still a work in progress, but currently I use Physicians Formula Organic CC Cream, and shimmer bronzer (or cinnamon) on my face. I’m phasing out my eye makeup and when it’s time to replenish it will be organic. I also use grapeseed oil on a cotton ball to remove my eye makeup.

No Sugar Diet: In a perfect world I would eat Paleo. That is my future wish, not my reality. However, I do not eat sugar – or when I do, it is minimal and natural occurring (like watermelon occasionally). This means lots of meats and veggies. Also hemp hearts and peanuts, almond milk, and coconut flour to name a few snacks and additions. Without a lot of carbs and eating foods of high protein, I am fully satisfied, full of energy, and get better sleep. It works for me.

Live With Less: I quit shopping to waste time. I evaluate every purchase and make sure it will be used and is in line with my core beliefs. I am paying of debt, so spending wildly is not an option.

Clearing Clutter: Getting rid of clutter and unused items in my home to make space for things that matter and brings me peace of mind.

I like to remind myself of the changes I am making and the progress I’ve made so far. Sometimes it seems like there is so much I need to change that it’s overwhelming. I didn’t make all these changes in one day. It has been phased over time and have allowed myself plenty of space to make mistakes, start again, and to experiment. I am having fun and enjoying the ride.

Are there things you want to get rid of to make space for more of what you want? What’s your motivation and how are you getting back to your authentic self?

I don’t know anyone in my real life that is searching for a more natural, simplistic lifestyle. This is why I love blogging so much and meeting like-minded individuals! It’s such a relief. Normally, when I tell my fam or friends what I am doing I get blank stares or weird comments. I think it’s just because it’s a little different. No harm done.

Anyway, it’s hard to find natural products where I live. I mean, there are holistic stores here and there and a Whole Foods but it’s many miles away and just very inconvenient. The inconvenience has stopped me from living like this, but not any more. This year, my mantra has been ‘no more excuses’ and I am trying my best to live up to it.

I spent over 3 hours this morning searching online for products that I have learned to love so I can order when I want. You may be in the same boat with your location, so I wanted to share.

Website: LuckyVitamin. Use coupon code 5OFF49GS205 (through July 2015) for $5 and you get free shipping on $50 orders.

1. Natural Hair Products: Sure, WalMart has Burt’s Bee’s but did you know their shampoo/conditioner ranks a 4 on the scale of hazards? Look, that’s better than most, but I want the least hazardous rating I can find. I ordered Andalou Naturals shampoo, conditioner, and hair spray. They rank at a 2 on the hazard scale.

2. EWG Skin Deep Database: This database shows the hazard/chemical rating for cosmetics and products. I used this site to determine the safety of Andalou hair products to make my decision.

3. Hemp Hearts: My new fav snack ever. They have them!

4. Ylang Ylang Essential Oil + Glass Spray Bottle: I plan on mixing a little skin moisturizer up with a new essential oil. Supposed to smell sweet and floral and does wonders for stress and it’s an aphrodisiac!

5. Eco Nuts: This is all natural soap nuts that I will be using to wash clothes. One box is equivalent to 100 loads of laundry. It’s safe, sudsy and natural and has been used for centuries! I am so excited!

After researching and trying to order from Amazon, Vitamin Life, and Lucky Vitamin: the Lucky Vitamin got my order.

Vitamin Life didn’t offer free shipping, and neither did Amazon. Amazon was actually going to charge $25 in shipping for the same items.

Lucky Vitaman though? Had all the items I wanted, a $5 off coupon and free shipping since I ordered $50 worth of items.

If you are looking for a convenient place to find your hippy stuff – check it out!

Make-Up: I only use organic CC cream and mascara {currently transitioning to only organic}

The results are really amazing and I feel much better with my choices. I can let go of my past mistakes, and make better choices moving forward that really benefits my skin, beauty, and life.

I’m also after a simple life where I focus on what truly matters so I can do meaningful work, live peacefully and light, and love with all my heart and soul.

Freeing up my obsession and constant ‘messing-with’ of my hair, make-up, body will allow me to live the passionate, hippyish life that I am after.

Since changing my hair, facial skincare, and make-up routine, it’s only natural that my body soap would be next.

I’ve had horrible, bodily skin my whole life. It’s patchy, ruddy, and has patches of red bumps. It also dries out super fast, but then moisturizer inflames my dry skin even worse. I’ve been diagnosed with dermatitis where dermatologists basically give you a topical ointment and tell you to rub down in it several times a day until it’s gone. Well, it doesn’t go away.

So, since I’ve had success with the natural approach to hair and my face, I switch to an all natural, goat’s milk, soap bar.

It’s really just a simple change and a better choice for overall skincare. The natural soaps smell delicious and are less harsh on the skin – all while cleaning just as well {or better, even} than the chemically-filled ones.

There comes a time when we do the same thing over and over and get the same sucky results. This is the turning point when we can open our mind and try some new things. The natural approach leaves nothing to be lost; only improved.

A lot of us have spent so much time and energy on over-the-counter and medicated facial cleanser. We scrub, exfoliate, moisturize; wear clay masks, apply toners and astringent, and pop zits.

If you are like me, then all of this started as a pre-teen when acne was running wild and it was cool to start using beauty products and makeup.

I’m in my thirties and the question still remains:

Why do I still have crazy skin and what can I purchase and do to make it go away?

It seems like I have tried everything imaginable and nothing is making it any better.

I had a turning point after I was using a combination of facial exfoliation, medicated facial wash, charcoal mask and makeup: my face broke out unbelievably and my cheeks turned beet red and very sore.

That’s when I made the decision.

It’s time to do something drastically different.

Then, I stumbled upon the Caveman Regimen in skincare. It really doesn’t get any more simple:

Wash your face with water only

Or, don’t wash it at all

I opt for the washing my face with water only and a baby soft rag.

After only 3 weeks, my skin has totally cleared up and my oils have regulated. Also, my black and whiteheads came out on their own. I will admit: it was disgusting but so amazing at the same time. After the first week, I looked in the mirror and they all made their way to the surface. If I hadn’t been in such shock, I would have taken a picture because it was wild; gross, but awesome at the same time. I’ve been trying for years to get them all out: biore strips, exfoliation, mashing. Well, they are gone now and haven’t returned. I’m sold and lo and behold my body is doing what it is meant to do. All on it’s own.

Why make the switch?

Conventional facial cleansers have chemicals and medication that may simply be way too strong for your face. They also can be stripping you of natural oils causing you to dry out and break out

You have tried every product on the market all your life and nothing is working

You want to save money. Water only is free!

You want to simplify your beauty routine

You want clear skin

You want to trust your body. The body is a machine made to cleans, heal, and grow all on it’s own. It doesn’t need our help with products. It already knows what to do if we just let go and allow it to do what it’s designed to do.

It’s really not as scary or gross as it sounds. It’s actually very beautiful and skin is allowed to heal naturally – which, is what your body is trying to do in the first place before we take it upon ourselves to slather and scrub it raw.

What to expect after making the switch from conventional to caveman:

Few days of transition. My skin was very oily and felt weird for a few days. I wasn’t used to water only and I had the strong desire to go back to my products. But, I held strong and am so glad I did. After a few days (depending on the person), your skin will begin to regulate and you can continue water only washing until it becomes your new norm.

You will realize that you have been spending way too much time and money on facial cleansers. Haven’t you heard that companies know that you will have to keep coming back for more? You try it: skin dries out, you buy moisturizer. You break out: you buy acne cream. You use makeup to cover acne: cycle starts over and continues.

You simplify your routine. I spend my mornings meditating, working on blog posts, yoga, and sipping coffee instead of slathering makeup on top of makeup to conceal my blemishes. Now, I put a little organic CC cream on my face and do something else.

It becomes the norm. After a few weeks, you quit thinking about your face. You don’t reach for cleansers in the bathtub. Oils regulate and skin clears. Ah. So nice.